Literary and Young Adult Books for Those Who Love Great Stories

Above, some of the titles that White Whisker Books offers. More can be seen under the "Buy Books" tab.

​

The Chords of War Named a 2017 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist

White Whisker Books is pleased to announce that its novel “The Chords of War,” by Christopher Meeks and Samuel Gonzalez Jr. has been recognized as a finalist in the 20th annual Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards.​Inspired by Sam Gonzalez’s true story, "The Chords of War" is the tale of punk rock teenager Max Rivera from Florida, who seeks purpose as he tries to understand why his life always teeters between music and mayhem. After he's kicked out of his band on tour, he joins the Army to change his life. It's after 9/11, and he finds himself under fire in Iraq, part of the surge in Baquabah. In order to deal with his confusion and raging hormones during patrols, battles, and women fighting alongside him, Max creates a new band with soldiers. Will Max and his friends make it?

“’The Chords of War’ may be destined to have the impact of ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ as the defining novel of the Millennials’ war in Iraq. It has already made my 2017 Top Three list of books.”--Linda Hitchcock, Midwest Book Review

“Wow what a book. This is destined to become an instant classic. The authors really capture the essence of the war in Iraq and what it is like to be a young soldier in the midst of such horrors. Couldn't put this book down. I now have a whole new perspective on the war.”--Tony Walsh, NetGalley Reviewer

“With ‘The Chords of War,’ Christopher Meeks and Samuel Gonzalez Jr. have set the bar very high for modern war fiction.”--Jim Chambers, Hall of Fame Top-Ten Reviewer

As part of its mission to discover, review, and share the best books from university and independent publishers, independent media company Foreword Magazine, Inc. hosts its annual awards program each year. Finalists represent the best books published in 2017. After more than 2,000 individual titles spread across 65 genres were submitted for consideration, the list of finalists was determined by Foreword’s editorial team. Winners will be decided by an expert team of booksellers and librarians—representing Foreword’s readership—from across the country.

“Choosing finalists for the INDIES is always the highlight of our year, but the job is very difficult due to the high quality of submissions,” said Victoria Sutherland, founder/publisher of Foreword Reviews. “Each new book award season proves again how independent publishers are the real innovators in the industry.”

White Whisker Books has had four books selected for awards by Foreword Reviews in the past seven years, beginning with Christopher Meeks’ comic novel, Love at Absolute Zero in 2011, a finalist in the Romance category. Then came Shelly Lowenkopf’s The Fiction Writers’ Handbook: The Definitive Guide To Mcguffins, Red Herrings, Shaggy Dogs, And Other Literary Revelations From A Master, a finalist in the Adult Nonfiction category in 2012.

E. Van Lowe and Sal Conte’s tense YA novel, The Secrets of Love and Death won a Silver Award in 2015 in the YA Novel category. Then this year’s The Chords of War for Military and War fiction.Winners in each genre—along with Editor’s Choice​Prize winners and Foreword’s INDIE Publisher of the Year—will be announced June 15, 2018.​

"The Secrets of Love and Death" Wins Silver Award for Best Book of the Year from Foreword Reviews

The White Whisker Books young adult romance novel by E. Van Lowe and Sal Conte, The Secrets of Love and Death, won the Silver Award by Foreword Reviews in 2016 Young Adult Book of the Year. The Secrets of Love and Death from best-selling authors E. Van Lowe and Sal Conte is a young adult romance novel with a few dark twists. Theo “Turtle” Dawson is overweight, under-confident and unloved, until the arrival of Turtle’s new classmate, Rita Calderon. Young love between the teenage couple begins to bloom until Turtle’s best friend, his big brother, returns from the grave. At least that’s what A.D. wants Turtle to believe. Is A.D. really back among the living, or is Turtle going loony-bin crazy? And if Turtle’s loving brother has returned, why is he asking Turtle to do such murderous things? Each year, Foreword Reviews shines a light on a select group of indie publishers, university presses, and self-published authors whose work stands out from the crowd. In the next three months, a panel of more than 100 volunteer librarians and booksellers will determine the winners in 63 categories based on their experience with readers and patrons.“The 2015 INDIEFAB finalist selection process is as inspiring as it is rigorous,” said Victoria Sutherland, publisher of Foreword Reviews. “The strength of this list of finalists is further proof that small, independent publishers are taking their rightful place as the new driving force of the entire publishing industry.” Foreword Reviews will celebrate the winners during a program at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida in June. We will also name the Editor’s Choice Prize 2015 for Fiction, Nonfiction and Foreword Reviews’ 2015 INDIEFAB Publisher of the Year Award during the presentation. To see the complete list of INDIEFAB Finalists, click here.

The Scary "Watch the Shadows" by Robin Winter

Watch the Shadows takes place in the college town of Isla Vista, California, just north of Santa Barbara, where small, odd things start happening. Science-geek Nicole notes the crows are leaving. Meg Burdigal can’t find her tabby cat, Schrand. Brian the postman feels uneasy at the rustlings, the shadows he’s seen at the edge of his vision on his delivery route in town. Now Nicole sees fewer and fewer homeless in the park. Using her knowledge of biology and forensics, Nicole searches for answers—but will anyone take the horror she finds seriously?

In this unusual thriller, Santa Barbara author Robin Winter explores where the ordinary slams against the extraordinary.

The reviews are in:

“The sight of a plastic grocery bag drifting on the wind is common all over, but in Isla Vista, it has taken on a truly menacing tone. Impressionistic writing invites the imagination into this sci-fi mystery with idiosyncratic characters. Regular people battling the danger adds immensely to the feeling of anxiety and drama.” –Christine Canfield, Foreword Reviews

“The tension builds page by page until it finally explodes into an edge-of-your-seat ending. Robin Winter has a definite gift for writing a creepy story.” –Lisa Binion, Lisa’s Writopia

“Full of ooey-gooey scary stuff, mystery, and the occasional snicker, this book kept me on the alert all the way through.” –Lelia Taylor, Buried Under Books

Robin Winter is the author of two previous novels, Future Past and Night Must Wait. She also pursues a career in oil painting under the name of Robin Gowen, specializing in landscape. Her work can be viewed at Sullivan Goss Gallery in Santa Barbara.

PUBLICATION PARTY AT CHAUCER'S BOOKS

Author Robin Winter celebrated the publication of her new novel, Watch the Shadows, at Chaucer’s Books on Tuesday, April 28th. Here are a few shots from the event. Many thanks goes to the welcoming staff at the store, located at 3321 State Street in Santa Barbara.

Author Robin Winter

THE 4TH AND FINAL BOOK OF E. VAN LOWE'S FALLING ANGELS SAGA

E. Van Lowe's paranormal romance novel Falling, the fourth and final book in The Falling Angels Saga, has been published. The End is Near! Will Megan Barnett go falling back into the arms of earth angel Guy Matson upon his return? Or is she, in fact, falling in love with the demon Orthon? Or will her out-of-control abilities send her falling into Satan’s open arms? In the final, heart-stopping chapter of the Falling Angels Saga, Megan Barnett is on a quest to rid her life of Satan forever, but Satan has other plans, including a lavish wedding. He’s willing to destroy her family and everyone she loves to have his way. To add to the drama, rogue demons have risen from hell with plans of their own. Will Megan finally have her happily-ever-after, or is she doomed to an eternity in HELL? As Amanda Ashby, author of "Zombie Queen of Newbury High," writes, “E. Van Lowe is a writing force to be reckoned with and you are in masterful hands from the first page to the last.”

Shelly Lowenkopf’s “Fiction Writer’s Handbook,” a Bestseller Shelly Lowenkopf’s The Fiction Writer’s Handbook is riding high on the Amazon/Kindle bestseller list, #1 for books and eBooks on writing skills, #10 for all of Nonfiction. However, he’s not an overnight sensation. His book is a product forty years of teaching creative writing and nearly as many years as an editor in the publishing industry. Also, many of Lowenkopf’s insights come from his voracious reading of the classics and more. His gem of a handbook comes from the boutique press White Whisker Books in Los Angeles.The Fiction Writer’s Handbook is the definitive volume to explain the words and phrases that writers and editors use when they talk about a work. In the highly competitive publishing world, today's writers need to stay ahead of the competition and make every sentence count. This book will help new writers who need an understanding of the writing process, and seasoned writers will dive into a refresher course with new angles. Fred Klein, former vice-president of Bantam books, calls Lowenkopf’s masterwork, “Handy, snappy, and insightful.” As Mr. Lowenkopf writes in the book’s foreword, “I wanted to produce the book you could pick up at any page and be led by your own needs and curiosity rather than the logic pattern of a development editor. This book will inspire writers to take chances and cause readers to want to come along for the ride, all the way to surprise and enjoyment.” Shelly Lowenkopf taught in the University of Southern California’s Master of Professional Writing Program for 34 years. He is currently Visiting Professor at the College of Creative Studies, University of California at Santa Barbara, with classes in noir fiction, the modern short story, genre fiction, and developing a literary voice. Living in Santa Barbara, Lowenkopf has served as editorial director for literary, general trade, and mass market book publishers. His first collection of short fiction Love Will Make You Drink and Gamble, Stay Up All Night will be published March 13th. He will be reading at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena at 7 p.m. that night.

The Quarterback

"From that rarest shelf, interesting sports fiction."--Robert Lipsyte, New York Times

"Milton can write like angel ... a young writer hell bent on fulfilling John Steinbeck's legacy, carrying on the tradition of James Jones and exploring his own heights."--Alabama Journal

"A pulsating, evocative tale that will take the reader months to forget."--American Statesman

David Scott Milton says of the book, "The Quarterback was written out of desperation and despair. I was twenty-six years old and at a dead-end in my life and careers. I was living in New York, working as a waiter in a jazz club. I had become involved with a hooker who frequented this place, and one day I learned that her pimp, a professional wrestler by the name of Bearcat Jamison, had returned to town and was looking for me. I went directly to the manager's office, picked up what little pay was owed me, and fled. I set out for Mexico. I took very little with me, some clothes, books, and my battered Remington portable typewriter. Over the next six months, I wrote The Quarterback. Poor Jazzy. He never learned the essential lessons about life. Over the years, I learned them. It started in Mexico with this book"

Classic David Scott Milton books now available on Kindle:

Kabbalah:Akiba Moldavan, a Pittsburgh rabbi, seeks to save his childhood friend, "Grey eyes," from an eternity of having a damned soul for the senseless killing of an old man, while detective John Strahan savors the opportunity to kill his old childhood acquaintance, "Grey eyes," whom he has been jealous of for decades. Grey Eyes believes the secret answer is in California. The three men's stories become intractably linked and at odds with each other, as they vie for achieving their pursuits. Click here to get Kabbalah.

The Quarterback: as a Kindle eBookTime is running out for Jim Jassy, the man they call "The Quarterback." He was an artist among ballplayers, but as his peak-seasons fade, his pride becomes dangerous. Click here to own The Quarterback.

Paradise Road:as a Kindle eBook"The house always wins" they say , but Don Porter has a system. Is the reward worth the risk, or is Don just building a house of cards?Click here to own this tale.

​Lowenkopf’s “Love Will Make You Drink” Wins at the Los Angeles Book Festival

Shelly Lowenkopf’s short story collection Love Will Make You Drink and Gamble, Stay Out Late at Night has won the award for Best Compiliation at the Los Angeles Book Festival.

Love Will Make You Drink and Gamble, Stay Out Late at Night, published last September, brings a number of Shelly Lowenkopf’s previously published short stories together in a single volume. All the stories revolve around life and love in Santa Barbara, the oceanside city north of Los Angeles where people go after they've burned out in San Francisco and L.A.

Interwoven into Santa Barbara’s picturesque setting, the people in these twelve stories reveal what their hearts and souls encounter in relationships. Their misreadings, mistakes, and misadventures bare what happens to people who love another.

Publisher Christopher Meeks, whose Los Angeles-based White Whisker Books publishes Love Will Make You Drink and Gamble, Stay Out Late at Night, says, “Lowenkopf is a maestro of the short story. He’d taught creative writing for thirty-four years at USC, writing fiction all the while. I hope more people discover the genius of Lowenkopf.”

“Shelly Lowenkopf is a master of the art of stealth in fiction,” says author David Gillham (City of Women). “His writing draws you in and then, ka-pow! Here comes the sucker punch that flattens you.”

Lowenkopf is best known as the author of the popular The Fiction Writer’s Handbook, which is the definitive volume to explain the words and phrases that writers and editors use when they talk about a work. The book helps new writers who need an understanding of the writing process, and seasoned writers can dive into a refresher course with new angles. He is currently Visiting Professor at the College of Creative Studies, University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Los Angeles Book Festival, not to be confused with the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, will have its awards ceremony at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood on March 7th. The list of the winners and runners-up can be found at http://www.losangelesbookfestival.com/.The Festival is produced by JM Northern Media LLC, a company focused on media and the people who make it. Founded in 1999, it oversees other book festivals, such as those in Paris, New York, and San Francisco.

New Crime Novel A Death in Vegas

On the heels of his novel previous crime novel, Blood Drama, Christopher Meeks has brought out his next crime book, A Death in Vegas. In A Death in Vegas, the president of BenBugs, a company that specializes in beneficial bugs for organic gardening, discovers a young woman dead in his Las Vegas hotel suite. She had worked as a sexy lady bug at his convention booth—and he had nothing to do with her death. While that’s being investigated, the FBI raids his booth on a money-laundering scam that he knows nothing about, either. Soon, the coroner doesn’t have good news. The police and FBI are against him—and his wife cannot be found. Is someone setting him up? He flees to find the answers.

Get it on Kindle, Nook, IBbooks, and Smashwords.

David Scott Milton's Iron City, a bestseller from last year.

Frank Kalinyak, disgraced ex-cop, returns to Pittsburgh, Pa., “Iron City," from Tucson where he has been living a desperate existence since the death of his young daughter. He has been summoned home by Bobby Mack, an Assistant D.A., to find out who murdered an old high school friend. Kalinyak is swept into a whirlpool of bizarre killings, religious fanaticism, church duplicity, hustlers, cops, junkies, old friends gone bad. Amid the fractured landscape of Iron City, rusting mills, rotting industry, he struggles to find sense in his life. Ultimately he must ask: who is he and can he survive?

Gunnar Gunderson, Physicist and Lover, Rises to Top of Amazon and Nook Charts"Love At Absolute Zero" becomes bestseller after Big Publishers couldn't find a marketing plan

Gunnar Gunderson, age 32 and a top physics professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, specializes in quantum physics and now love, thanks to the novel Love at Absolute Zero. While Gunderson may be a fictional character, readers are finding there’s truth in his obsessed and crazed scientific journey into romance. In fact, the book became #1 in Inspirational Romance last year, and #4 in Literary Humor. It landed #72 in overall sales for the Kindle reader, and #33 on Nook.

Blood Drama

Everyone has a bad day. In the crossover thriller BLOOD DRAMA, graduate student Ian Nash, after losing his girlfriend, gets dropped from a Ph.D. program in theatre. When he stops at a local coffee shop in the lobby of a bank to apply for a job, the proverbial organic matter hits the fan. A gang of four robs the bank, and things get bloody. Ian is taken hostage by the robbers when the police show up. Now he has to save his life.

FBI Special Agent Aleece Medina's analysis of the bloody bank heist drives her into the pursuit of a robbery gang headed by two women. She doesn't anticipate how this robbery will pit her against both the bandits and the male higher-ups in the FBI while the media heats up during a giant manhunt.

The robbers are about to kill Ian, and all he has at hand is his knowledge of the stage.

This isn't the usual thriller. Here's what Kristina Davis, an early Goodreads winner of the book, posted:

"I've been sitting here for the past several hours trying to summarize and review the characters and plot of BLOOD DRAMA, but I just couldn't do it. You can't summarize this story. It has way too many twists and turns and is way too unique to shorten without giving something away. You can't condense these characters into a short paragraph each. They're all, save one, too complex, too well-rounded, too evolving to be able to write just a few lines about each."

Heaven Sent

For you fans of paranormal romance, the best-selling Falling Angels Saga by E. Van Lowe, Heaven Sent, the third in the series, has arrived on Nook and Kindle! To celebrate, the first two books in the series, Boyfriend From Hell and Earth Angel, are only $0.99 for a short time. The others are just $3.99. To see or get Heaven Sent on Kindle, click here. For Nook, click here.

If you haven't started the series, then to get Boyfriend from Hellfor only $0.99 as an eBook, use the links below.

New From White Whisker: A Video on YouTube

Book trailers can be inventive. In fact, director Samuel Gonzalez, Jr., has created a short narrative film inspired by Christopher Meeks's new novel, A Death in Vegas.

Gonzalez looked at a number of book trailers and saw most of them were either author interviews or ones that looked like film trailers with snippets of scenes. “I wanted to do something different,” says Gonzalez. “I approached him with ‘What if you fell into your own novel?’ You would be in the same situation as your protagonist.”

“That was bold,” said Meeks. “It meant I had to act—not just be a talking head but actually perform as if I was someone else, Christopher Meeks the character. It stretched me as a person. Samuel is a talented director, not only visually but also in working with actors. He turned me into one.”

The final piece is short for a narrative film—only seven minutes without the credits—but it’s long for a traditional trailer. “But it’s not a traditional trailer,” says Meeks. In today’s book marketplace, one has to stay nimble and try new things.

The Brightest Moon of the Century

​In his fourth award-winning book, Christopher Meeks offers a comic and compassionate coming-of-age novel. A young Minnesotan, Edward, is blessed with an abundance of "experience"--first when his mother dies and next when his father, an encyclopedia salesman, shoehorns Edward into a private boys school where he's tortured and groomed. He needs a place in the universe, but he wants an understanding of women.

It makes a great gift for new Kindles. Click here to get the book for free.

LOVE AT ABSOLUTE ZERO

A Book of the Year Finalist in ForeWord Reviews, the comic romance Love at Absolute Zero is about Gunnar Gunderson, a 32-year-old physicist at the University of Wisconsin. After being given tenure and channeling his inner salmon, he's determined to meet his soul mate within three days using the Scientific Method. When he accidentally steps on the toes of a visiting kindergarten teacher from Denmark, his world turns upside down. To get it at this price on Kindle, click here, and for Nook, click here. For other platforms or print, click here.

Months and Seasons

Months and Seasons has been recently reduced to $2.99 for Nook, Kindle, and iPad. The collection was a finalist in the prestigious Frank O'Connor International Story Award, which offers the highest prize money for short fiction. Months and Seasons is the follow-up story collection to Christopher Meeks's award-winning The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea. With a combination of main characters from young to old and with drama and humor, the tales pursue such people as a supermodel who awakens after open-heart surgery, a famous playwright who faces a firestorm consuming the landscape, a reluctant man who attends a Halloween party as Dracula, and a New Yorker who thinks she's a chicken. "Christopher Meeks's quirky stories are lyrical and wonderfully human. Enjoy," says Sandra Tsing Loh, author of A Year in Van Nuys.)